Anyway, over the last year or so I've collected several cans of different dehydrated vegetables. Here are the ones I've tried so far:
Onions
First off, if you've never used dehydrated minced/chopped onions, go out right now and buy a can! They are seriously a gift from Heaven, at least if you're like me and you hate chopping onions. I substitute them in everything that contains cooked, chopped onions and you would never be able to tell. I bought a #10 can of them from Macey's but you can also buy them from the LDS cannery for about $7 and any grocery store or bulk food store would sell them in a smaller quantity. The only time I ever even buy real onions is when I need them raw and/or sliced. Fantastic!
Carrots
I found a ten-year-old can of carrots from the LDS cannery (about $7 if you buy them there) in my parents' basement (my mom needs a little help rotating her food storage) and decided that I would see if it lives up to its supposed ten year shelf life. When first opened, the can released a smell that was identical to that of the bagged bunny food we used to feed our rabbit. As you would expect, the skepticism set in immediately. I poured a bowl of dehydrated carrots, covered them up with water and let them soak for about 10 minutes until they were flexible. I cooked them up in a stir-fry (recipe to follow) and honestly, I couldn't tell the difference and neither could my family. Another success! Obviously they weren't like raw carrots and I wouldn't ever try to eat them plain. But would I use them in a soup? Definitely. Would I use them in stir-fry? Definitely.
Peppers
These also came in a #10 can from Macey's which I bought for about $10, but as I mentioned earlier they now have them at Wal-Mart. They come in a mix of red and green, so you wouldn't ever be able to have either color exclusively, but we can't be too picky, can we? Anyway, I used these exactly the same way as I used the carrots (soaked and stir-fried) and they were great! Like I said, no one noticed. The pieces are pretty small. I would say they're the perfect size for anything that calls for chopped red or green peppers. They don't have that special tender-crisp texture that fresh peppers can have, but they would definitely do if you were living on food storage.
And last but not least, here's the recipe I used to demo the carrots and peppers. I used a Rachael Ray recipe and just subbed the re-hydrated dehydrated veggies for the fresh ones (except for the green onions; I haven't ever seen them for sale and haven't tried drying my own... yet). It's a great recipe! I'm adding it to my 3-month supply menu.
Cashew Chicken
Ingredients:
-1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced
-1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced [or use re-hydrated dried peppers]
-1 tbsp. sesame oil
-2 cloves garlic
-2 tbsp. rice vinegar
-a couple shakes of crushed red pepper
-black pepper, to taste
-1 tbsp. sesame oil
-1 large carrot, peeled and diced [again, try the dehydrated!]
-1 can water chestnuts, drained and coarsely chopped
-3 heaping tablespoons hoisin sauce (an Asian condiment that can be bought in the ethnic section of most grocery stores)
-a couple handfuls unsalted cashews
-3 green onions, thinly sliced on an angle
-hot, cooked rice
Combine first seven ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat until it smokes. Add carrot and stir-fry for 2 or 3 minutes. Add coated chicken and peppers and cook another 3 or 4 minutes. Add chestnuts and heat through for 1 minute. Add the hoisin sauce and toss to coat evenly. Serve over a bed of rice and top with cashews and green onions. Feeds 4 well.
[Sorry I don't have a picture. My camera always makes food look crappy anyway and it wouldn't really motivate you to try it.]
1 comment:
So do you think the peppers would work in a casserole? Would it be too obvious they weren't fresh?
I was thinking about you in the car yesterday - I was hoping you'd be up for giving homemade tortilla lessons. Let me know.
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